This invention relates to a mould for continuous casting of metal strips and more particularly to a continuous-casting mould of the kind comprising a pair of mould side walls on opposite sides of an open-ended mould cavity having an entrance end for continuously receiving molten metal and an exit end for continuously discharging a moving solidified strip formed from the molten metal, each said mould side wall including a graphite block, and further comprising a cooling system associated with each graphite block and including coolant tubes contacting the graphite block.
In the art of continuous casting of metals, especially in the continuous casting of non-ferrous metals or alloys, such as copper or copper base alloys, it is common practice to use a casting mould in which the walls of the open-ended mould cavity are formed by graphite lining plates, because graphite has advantageous lubricating properties and a fairly high thermal conductivity. These properties are highly desirable, firstly because low friction between the mould cavity walls and the moving solidified strip is essential and secondly because high thermal conductivity is required to permit efficient cooling of the mould and thus rapid solidification of the molten metal continuously fed into the mould cavity.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,519,062 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,148 A show examples of moulds for continuous casting of metal strips in which the inner faces of the side walls of the mould cavity are covered by thin lining plates of graphite. On the side directed away from the mould cavity, the graphite lining plates engage and are supported by backing and cooling members of metal. These backing and cooling members not only support and protect the graphite lining plate but also serve as cooling jackets through which a liquid coolant is passed to carry away heat from the mould cavity via the graphite lining plates.
It is also known, although not common practice, to form the inner faces of the mould side walls from thick graphite blocks or slabs and essentially dispensing with the conventional backing and cooling members. Thus, GB 2 034 218 A discloses a continuous-casting mould of the kind initially indicated, in which the horizontal mould cavity is defined by a pair of heavy solid graphite blocks which are placed one on top of the other and provided with mould cavity defining recesses in their confronting inner faces. An array of flattened coolant tubes of metal are urged against the outer faces of the blocks to be held in close contact with the blocks to carry off heat transmitted from the mould cavity across the thickness of the graphite blocks.